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tv   Headline News  RT  February 8, 2013 3:00am-3:28am EST

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kept goals and jails are set the tone for cia hopeful john brennan's confirmation hearing with obama's and picked men seemingly spit top of questions over drones of torture and targeted executions. tens of thousands marched on spain streets amid calls for the government to go after a fresh round of budget cuts and sees a spike in university fees and the end of free prescription drugs for pensioners. tunisia could be stretched to the limits as a country gears up for more protests and even strikes on the day of the funeral of the opposition leader whose murder unleashed the new anti government sentiment. and a draft bill in the u.k. open up private online communication to the authorities with their concerns it's taken national security a step too far from. its
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midday here in moscow you live with us on our gee it's good to have you a company with us it wasn't quite to the grilling that many had predicted as president obama's pick to head the cia face the senate in his confirmation hearing the session began with taunts and jeered before the audience was cleared out lawmakers then poked and prodded john brennan on the themes from torture to drones but appeared to back off when push came to shove are his damages you can now report on the questions that weren't ask. what most people expected to hear was how does the u.s. government make decisions as to who should be on their kill list and mr brennan would certainly be the most appropriate person to ask because he is known to have
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been in charge of the kill list and he's known as the architect of the administration's targeted assassinations program so the question of who the drones are targeting was critical and one of the senators asked john brennan whether there should be at least some judicial oversight over those executions by drones and here's what he said none of those actions or to determine past guilt for those actions that he took the decisions that are made or to take action so that we prevent future action to protect american lives so the rationale that john brennan gave for not going to court is that the administration is not in the business of punishing individuals but it's in the business of preventing attacks he basically says the u.s. government could execute people who or what they haven't done yet and you would expect a follow up questions from lawmakers as to how the administration determines the level of threat as these people constitute let's imagine an angry yemeni man who writes in his blog bag he hates america as you can see is wife died in a drone strike and he wants to take revenge is that enough to justify him being
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killed by a drone there are so many questions about how the administration decides to put someone on their kill list and yet there was not sneer another grilling on the part of the senators to get specific answers prior to the hearing a memo was released which the justice department handed over to congress and according to the memo the government can kill people overseas even without evidence that they are actively plotting against the u.s. the paper states that the u.s. would be able to kill a u.s. citizen or non-citizen overseas when asked what unquote an informed high level of social of the u.s. government determines the target is an imminent threat to them here for also suggest that such decisions would not be subject to judicial review and outlines a broad definition of what constitutes imminent threat. at the very beginning of the hearing as john brennan was delivering his remarks he was interrupted five times or so by protesters who stood up and express these shouted out rather their
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opposition to those executions senators had to take a recess for for the protesters to be removed from the hearing and these protests are steered by numerous reports that drone strikes kill innocent people as well not just suspected terrorists everybody expected tough questions on drones but that did not happen john brennan got away with very broad answers like the program is saving lives and you should take the administration's word for it. a private hearing now awaits john brennan in order to iron out technicalities but given his performance at his senate activist and author david swanson a surprise he was nominated in the first place. someone who was deemed unacceptable four years free vs because of his involvement in torture and rendition is now acceptable because he engages in a program of murder and the goodness of the murder outweighs the bad list of the torture recent polls found that while only twenty four percent of americans support
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killing americans it's drones eighty three percent support killing nine americans with drones there is a clear bias you can do the math and see what percentage of americans are bigots were i dragged before us court charged with mass murder i could not say your honor i have a memo was drafted explaining why this is ok the president should not be able to do that either but that seems to be where the debate is going on. the last week have seen his three major confirmation hearings with the senate ranging from pampering to outright hostility on our website and we've got more on how the three candidates might change america's foreign policy. tens of thousands of students and teachers have taken to the streets of spain on the largest day of protests amid calls for the government to step aside things public sector is facing fresh cuts what they had to education expected to be nearly five billion euros polish major
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producer at artie's a ruptly video agency but to some of the demonstrators. hundreds of people are gathered here in madrid complaining about cuts in education they are mostly students parents of students and teachers but the education is not their only concern they're also demanding the resignation of the government the government of money i know to where he has been accused of receiving bribes from private companies and opening bank accounts in switzerland look at other people you can see buttons saying calling spain the last vegas of the european union and also complaining about the lack of democracy that people are protesting and there is no solution to their complaints to sell. if a teacher. if i have to pay a mortgage and everything i can to send two kids to university i will have the money and how is privatization in the educational sector hourman education in spain well they see everything as business no matter what you do it ok sure should be an
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occasion for people to make money out of food today don't see it as a public service or not you know the whole service is the same they save you get ill if you have a problem you are a customer and you or your good they're going to make money out of you it's just a rupture and they took the money or they rescinded budgets we have no you have no provision for the public system this has become a trademark of spanish demonstrations after every march those sweeping trucks come rapidly and sweep all the streets leaving no evidence that there was a demonstration against the government. a budget battle in brussels as a fresh e.u. summit kicks off to all the clubs traditional economic powerhouses are thing i had to eye with which in leading calls for cuts to the budget as france accuses the u.k. of the park received on this it just ahead. to asia is bracing itself for
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a third straight day of street battles friday sees the funeral of a key opposition figure who's assessed the nation became a catalyst for the lead latest wave of anti-government protest the country's trade unions have also called a general strike to protest against. murder which come pinned on the slimmest leadership in the latest showdown police a used tear gas on a mob boss trowing strains of angry protesters chanting anti-government slogans trying to approach the country's interior ministry in the capital tunis its crew was also caught up in the end rest as artie's maria for national now reports. temperatures are still very high and tensions are still at the very day. the very risky level the level that is threatening and challenging the security and stability in this country protests have been continuing strong thursday we've seen many many people on the streets they've been many clashes between police and opposition supporters stand again police has been using tear gas against protesters
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my crew and me we've been attacked by a group of youngsters we've just because we've filmed them and that tells a lot of all to the situation on the ground we've been hearing about similar violence and similar disturbances throughout the country especially in the southern part of tunisia where the headquarters of the ruling party has been vandalised the protests may go even more violent intentions may go even further but there has been attempts to ease the tensions in the country from prime minister if the idea was to form a government that will not be affiliated to any political party no politics and government but the islamist party dominated tunisia's governing coalition and rejected its own from minister's decision we can understand the reason an internal political crisis it's definitely it too will be very hard for this country to overcome this crisis. georgia's paula and it is edging the president out of power of following a crackdown on dissent and revelations of human rights abuses now that he has been
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prevented from making his annual address even though he's still president all the details coming up. panda fireworks and a spectacular gala show a day of celebration in russia's black sea resort of sochi marking one yeah until the most expensive winter olympics ever come to shove way. the british government is trying to get its hands on private a web information is drawn up a documentary for achieved by some as the snoopers charter which looks to give authority its war rights to spy on the citizens online is one concerns over an invasion of privacy artists or for that looks at whether such measures could enhance the national security. the main area of concern surrounds this the draft communications data bill and proposals in it that critics say could see the public left wide open to having their facebook accounts or twitter e-mails read anything
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that they visit online the websites that they gayety logs by the government now understandably those plans have proven hugely controversial with critics labeling it the snoop is charter now perhaps more concerning is the latest report by the intelligence and security committee made like to see a nationwide surveillance regime implemented now the government say that they need to do this to catch criminals and stop terrorism but there's lots of the members of the public saying where are safeguards when it comes to what we do online will seek more about this i'm now joined by professor and sneakily to the director studies security and intelligence studies at the university of akron thank you very much for joining us you're in support of the draft communications data bill i heard you describe yourself at a recent talk of the skunk at the picnic if these keys and these proposals are so unpopular why are the government pushing them through all the time when government
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is pushing them through because the government realizes that they're needed some thirty million people use the internet to communicate with each other each day in the united kingdom people in this country fully accept that more than one hundred years. their telephone conversations are likely to be mine if they're seen as a national security risk so it's completely absurd to think that there should be this new form of communications that should somehow be exempt from these sorts of measures. to bugger furrowing you need a warrant with the proposals the idea is that perhaps my information is fine members. public underling nothing role why should my emails be localized my twitter account be a friend to investigate well it's important to realize that this is not a charter to mine everyone it's
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a charter to mine anyone against who there is intelligence of being a serious risk to our national security in one way or another and they transcend members of the public would still be kept retained well what the government is asking the internet service providers to do is to retain data that at the moment they're just getting rid of so if there is a suspicion that a particular person is engaged in serious organized crime sex trafficking or terrorism the government can then institute pro as a member of the public was like oh my e-mails for a well if you don't want your e-mails pro. your norm engaged in any kind of illegal activity your e-mails won't be pro if you want if you want complete privacy don't write any letters to your friends don't speak to them on the telephone and don't send them photographs of yourself in joking that
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can very much for joining us to fester and see if that has that is the solution maybe is the time for a big log of thing hey someone is actually watching surface london. image is everything and even amid the continuing economic crisis senior leaders plan to spend millions on an online propaganda blitz aimed at enhancing the blogs reputation via the use of social media i have more on that story as well as others when we come back. well. it's technology innovation all the developments around russia we've got the future covered. you know how sometimes you see a story and it seems so for langley you think you understand it and then you glimpse something else you hear or see some other part of it and realized
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everything you thought you knew you don't know what i'm charging welcome to the big picture. view. welcome back here with our team elite is not a tough negotiations over the blogs next budget that
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a full seven years from two thousand and fourteen the financial wrestling comes with u.k. prime minister david cameron in one corner getting called for major spending cuts and prices hit countries only of them are just as a silly explains what else makes the talks us so complex. we've seen some of the leaders who had arrived here already making strong statements first of all david cameron continuously saying that if the budget is not brought down to a level that he is happy with there will be no deal we've heard from other countries who are saying that they may use their veto if they're not happy such as the czech republic to simplify the vickery going on right now it would be between northern and southern countries you could say the wealthier nations versus those that actually depend more on the e.u. funding and on the one hand you have countries like the u.k. germany the netherlands denmark these countries are supporting harsher cuts to the e.u. budget david cameron being the most radical and controversial taking this step now
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he has been demanding since november last year in two thousand and twelve that was the first today is the second try and since that until now he's been demanding for cuts in brussels bureaucracy for instance but on the other side you have those countries who are dependent on these forums and one of the loudest voices on this is walmart of france also the u.k. is coming into this summit this is the first time since david cameron announced that in or out referendum that he said that he would pose the question of whether they should remain in the e.u. twenty seven. reelected in twenty fifteen of course this is a possibility of a creating even more tension in the u.k. where the cost benefit of actually being a member of the e.u. interpreted by the other members not being a team player in this regard and also as this talk is happening talking about budget cuts on the e.u. level we see the budget cuts on a more local ground level we've seen the protests continuing even until today people very angry at the cuts imposed on them on their livelihoods on their
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pensions are on their potential jobs while the e.u. cannot agree upon a budget of their own. and third image is everything in politics them in these times of austerity the e.u. is eager to do whatever it takes to maintain a good reputation even if it means spending big two million euros have apparently been earmarked to spend on p.r. war with online euro skeptics nigel farage from the u.k. independence party thinks such action is a show the block is no more than a banana republic they decided that they're going to train in how staff in the run up to the european elections of twenty fourteen train those people to go online to look at facebook twitter other social media sites and to correct that's their word not mine to correct any misapprehensions that may exist about the european union and i have to say the fact that it's a parliament that is doing this that is using taxpayers' money to do this says
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a lot about the institutions that all brought about parliaments is the person is it's him a chair of the parliament he's the speaker in westminster he's the chairman you know the parliaments around the world but he has all the rest of the staff are supposed to be neutral they're not supposed to take any political position at all and the fact that the parliament decided it's going to spend money time and resources doing this shows you that frankly they're no better than a banana republic and this is all the mcgarvie would do or someone like that so i think many people outside would be shocked by it having worked there myself for thirteen years i'm not surprised at all they are really really scared they're scared that from north to south to east to west all over the european union citizens are saying we've never voted for this thing to become the united states of europe we've never asked to have the majority of our laws made somewhere else and
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we want to do something about it so they're scared and they're fighting back. right on a website a key documents in russia's recent history disappear as you call to declare in the soviet union's break up vanishes in better use barking predictions of the fever might make a fortune. also while you're there eliot alive will fall but scientists claim that our galaxy contains billions of the century habitable planets read more on that and archie dot com. well george and parliament has postponed presence of gushy these annual address to his pantano minority refused to agree to the constitutional amendments removing his right to fire the government the president poncy lost its grip on power in a recent parliamentary vote following a crackdown on protests and claims of human rights abuses against political prisoners archies let's hear
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a chef ski has been hearing for his hand accounts. georgia has performed miracles we moved from being a failed state will be one of the top business destinations in the world while it would be high to good academic freedom according to the world bank i'll be number one fighter with corruption it worldwide demand people started to believe in the stations people started to believe them ocracy was because it is giorgio the beacon of democracy and freedom not from your gaze viewpoint when he's universities rectory infused to build a prayer room he helped organize a ten thousand strong school student rally but it ended with his arrest and sentenced on the floor in the hall because i want to see you know you. could just walk into our cell and start beating us for no reason the even put twenty year old students in wheelchairs in prison one of the inmates went insane because they showed him footage of how his wife was being raped. georgie thought she'd be spending his time with murderers and drug barons and stan he found himself among
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academics architects and righteous all jailed for having a different opinion to the country's leadership. works as an advisor to the minister of the penitentiary system and used to be classmates with saakashvili she believes the astonishing number of prisoners in georgia during his reign was to a large extent personally driven. which is what he had often been joked at in school and he directed his revenge against his former classmates when he became president most of them were either stripped of their businesses are put to prison in his presidency we've had twenty five thousand people in jail. weeks before last year's parliamentary vote a news of a successful counterterrorism operation in eastern georgia made headlines eleven suspected militants from russia's north caucasus were killed but some said the whole thing was a hoax to discredit russia and in fact the slain men were georgians.
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first of all their weapons were american made second not. of them fired off a single shot but not all the uniforms of the so-called fighters were brand new this was saakashvili plan he has sent his guys across the border into russia and then had them shot by the georgian police this was a set up just to frame russia shortly after that event a shocking video of prisoner abuse in georgia jails went viral and effectively diminished the president's party support by more than a halt which lost both the election and control over the country it's not yet known where the second shooting will face prosecution over that was a torture allegations for two hundred political prisoners the change of power of man the shelves to walk free because like us really well for many remain as georgia's president until october but he's powers have already been transferred to the prime minister it's only when history has already declared a national wide amnesty of political prisoners but experts say there was socialization may take several more years it's really still try to block the
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amnesty with furious comments. i will not sign papers which will allow paedophiles and racists to walk free if you'll let the parliament claim responsibility for that but. r.t. reporting from belief in georgia. now let's have a look at some other international news in brave back to back its patients have been through a busy shine to area of baghdad reporters a killing at least twenty nine people one of the bombs was hidden in a box at a market the other one was in a parked car targeting business city areas on fridays which is the start of the muslim weekend has become a widespread terror tactic within. a ferry carrying around one hundred passengers has gone down in a river in central bangladesh reports suggest that more than forty people have been dress cute all want to show schools are still remain missing there have been no
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immediate reports of casualties. ferry accidents are common in bangladesh due to faulty vessels and lex regulations. right after the day of picture perfect celebrations the work in the rushes the winter olympics host city of sochi is in full swing once again the festive spirit is spread not only across russia but dreams as far as the u.n. headquarters in new york as it marked a one year until the games are g.'s the end reforma revs up the momentous day in live and he's joining me live from sochi andrew we've seen some of the pictures fireworks of the works but i know you were there tell us a little bit about what happened yesterday. you know as you say after six years of relentless construction i think sorties entering the final home straight in terms of getting prepared for these games last night to mark the one year to go came down there was a lavish ceremony here. part of a fireworks is also
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a spectacular skating show that took place in the bolshoi ice time which is a big sort of christmas pudding of a building you can see behind me that was all very impressive counter and called switched on across russia and as you mentioned there i think a touch of the limp experience even reach the u.n. building in new york now if you're a fan tickets have gone on sale now the cheapest ones you can pick up with something like fifteen dollars and if you're rich or they're not really fancy scratching a bit of cash you can pick up a tickets watch the opening ceremony for something like fifteen hundred dollars i have been here for the last few days and have been very impressed with what i've seen most of the sporting venues in our can run in and out is staggering considering most of them had to be built from. scratch there was one area of concern and that was the the state sorry the ski jumping center up in the mountains which you can see also in the distance that. they are slightly behind sched jewel and also over budget and that store after president putin actually sack
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a senior member of the russian olympic committee yesterday but overall the message is very positive this isn't a deal it's setting i mean i'm just makes is from the black sea here people swimming in there just minutes ago it's fifteen degrees these will be the first olympics that will be held in the subtropical climate and if you are coming here to watch the sport i think you will fare really enjoy it simply because it's so easy to get around the olympic park is extremely compact which means you can walk around all the venues there within about twenty minutes which basically means you could watch something not the ice hockey the killing and all the skating events and then if you wanted to see on the same day you could get on a train and within thirty minutes you'd be up in the mountains to watch the alpine events so it's been extremely well laid out these games will be one of the most compact and the message from the russian officials but also more importantly the i.o.c. the international olympic committee is that russia will be ready yes this still work going on as you can see that really relates to the infrastructure the still building a lot of roads here.

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